From roadsters to racers -- and everything in between -- these athletes of the auto world were striking. Some will be built, others carry lofty promises of production, and others might never be seen publicly after the show. Significantly, there were more on display than usual, taking up a large swath of show space. Regardless of their lifespan or purpose, several turned in memorable appearances in Switzerland.

Some notables included:

Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera rolled out the production version of a retro-styled coupe, the Disco Volante. It's meant to summon the spirit of the 1952 Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante, and it's based on a modern 8C Competizione chassis with a 4.7-liter V8 under the hood making about 450 hp. The pricing is "on-demand" and Touring Superleggera will deliver a Disco Volante six months after getting a base 8C to work on.

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Pininfarina revealed the Sergio, a salute to the company's longtime chairman Sergio Pininfarina, who died last year. Completed in just six months, the Sergio uses the bones of a Ferrari 458 spider, but is heavily modified into a serious, open-air barchetta. It has a bit of a 1970s Scuderia feel, with gold wheels and large circular air vents over the engine. Sergio's son, company chairman Paolo Pininfarina, said the cues remind him of seeing vintage Ferraris race at Monza with his father.

The Sergio also pays tribute to the 1965 Ferrari Dino, and a swoopy, curvy red one was on display at the Pininfarina stand. Interestingly, that Dino was the first car Sergio Pininfarina completely designed without the direction of his father, company founder Battista Pininfarina, who died in 1966.

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Looking toward the future, Spyker showed off the B6 Venator concept, which presages a mid-engine sports car pushing out more than 375 hp. Clearly meant to re-establish Spyker's identity and mettle after its ill-fated tie-up with Saab, the Venator has two seats, a glass canopy with stainless steel architecture and plenty of subtle curves. The car carries a number of aviation cues, and a 1903 emblem harks back to Spyker's roots in the infancy of racing. Venator means "hunter" in Latin, which references Spyker's heritage as a producer of fighter planes in World War I.

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Austrian firm KTM had one of the more distinctive examples of sporting prowess, showing off an open-air creation called the X-Bow GT. This 2.0-liter four-cylinder made about 281 hp and is meant to act like an open-air race car, without requiring a helmet. The radical car had a buggy-like appearance, huge windscreen in front and a sporting suspension.